Coil-forming machine



A. W, MILLER. C'oIL FORMING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.'I8, I9I9.

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A. W. MILLER.

COIL FORMING MACHINE- APPucA'rmN F1LED sEPT,1,1919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEES-SHEE'I 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT W. MILLER, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-I'IALF TOELIZABETH C. BRYAN, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

COIL-FORMIN G MACHINE.

Application filed September 18, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALBER" IV. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside, State of California,have invented a new and useful Coil-Forming Machine, of which thefollowing is a specication.

rI'his invention relates to coil forming machines for winding helicalsprings of either open or closed formation, to produce coinpression ortension springs.

rlhe object of the invention is to provide an improved device forceiling a single length of wire upon a rotatable mandrel to convenientlyand accurately form a coil spring or a coil for any desired purpose, andto further provide a means for gaging the convolutions of the coil toproduce a spring of the desired pitch, the normal position of said meansbeing invariable and the regulation oli the pitch ot the springdepending upon the manner in which the Wire is threaded into themachine.

Another object is to provide a machine of the character adapted tocoperate with mandrels of various sizes and to provide an operatinghandle adapted to be detachably clamped to said mandrels.

A further object is to provide means for guiding the wire at a pointclosely adjacent the mandrel so as to control the terminal end of thewire as the wire supply becomes exhausted.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription ot the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred formof embodiment of the invention and forming a part oi: thisspi-iciication.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of my iinproved coil forming machine.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a central transverse section.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation.

Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section.

Fig. 6 is a detail view oi' the wire control mechanism showing the partsin position for threading the wire into the machine.

Fig. 7 is a detail section on line :v7-m7 ot Fig. 5. i

Fig. 8 is a detail section on line ms m8 of Fig. 4.

The frame or support for the mechanism as illustrated in the drawingscomprises a rectangular frame l bolted or otherwise se- Specieation ofLetters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

serial No. 324,646.

cured to a bench or table, or lirmly held by any other desired means.The side walls 2 3 of said trame are provided with apertures 4 5 formingclamp edges (3 7 of inverted V-shape. Vertically slidable within theJframe l is a friction clamp slide 8 which is of inverted U-shape withthe side limbs 9 10 thereoil lying closely adjacent the side walls 2 3of the Vframe and provided withI apertures Il l2 forming V-shape clampedges 13 14; adapted to cooperate with the clamp edges 6 7 of the frameto frictionally grip -a mandrel l5, as shown in Fig. 3.. The limbs 9-10of the clamp slide S are maintained in spaced relation by a tie rod 16secured in the lower ends oi" said limbs and the slide is verticallyguided upon the frame by guide plates N lS which are secured,respectively, to the lower ends of the slide limbs 9 1() with theiropposite ends bent outwardly providing ears 19 engaging the opposedvertical edges o'lE the side wallsi2 3 of the frame.

A clamp screw 2() has a screw-threaded engagement through the top plateof the frame l and is rotatably retained within a bore in the slide 8, ahandle 2l being provided for turning the screw 20.

rhe mechanism above described provides a frame for the machine, havingincorporated therein a means for frictionally gripping mandrels ofvarious diameters.

The mandrel l5 extends through the .frame and handle 22 is adapted to beclamped. thereto, serving as a means for rotating the mandrel and iorother purposes as will hereinafter be explained. The clamp end of thelever is bifureated to iorm opposed limbs 3 211: provided with aperturesforming V- shaped mandrel engaging edges 2li-2G, respectively, andpivotally journaled in the ends of said limbs and positionedtherebetween is a clamp member 27 having a spirally contoured clamp edge2S adapted to wedgingly engage the mandrel. A handle nut 29 has a screwthreaded engagement with the pivot bolt 30 of the clamp niember 27 andserves to compress the limbs 23 24; of the handle into clampins`engagement withl the clamp member and retain said. member in setposition. The gage device for controlling the pitch of the spring to becoiled is carried by a rod 32 which is loosely journaled in opposedplates 33 34 secured to and projecting beyond the side walls 2 3,

respectively,- of the frame. It is obvious that these plates may beeliminated and that suitable ears may be extended outwardly as integralparts of the frame.

Secured to one end of the rod 32 is a gage supporting lever 35 andspaced irom the' plate 811 by a loose spacing collar 36 is a series ofsector shaped gage plates 3T allloose on the rod 32 and retained againstrotary movement relative to the lever 35 by a stud 38 secured to saidlever and projecting through alined orifices in the gage plates.

The opposite end olf' the iod has a screw-threaded engagement with awing-nut 39 which engages the outer surface of the plate 33 for thepurpose of translating the rod32 to provide rictional tension on thewire stock as will later be described.

A guide lever l() is pivoted on the gage supporting lever 35 and extendsinwardly to normally lie between the said lever 35 and the series ofgage plates with a notch l1 formed in the lower edge ot the lever 40engaging over the rod 32. The inner upper edge ofthe lever et() isprovided with a horizontal shelf l2 extending as a guide bridge over thegage plates and provided with a downturned lip e3 on its 'free end. Areiatively wide guide roller 4a is rotatably jo'urnaled on the leverel() and a stud 45 is ixed'thereon in position to engage into a notchL16 formed in the lower edge of the lever 35. `When the lever el() is innormal position in relation to the lever 35 it is frictionally clampedthereto by a handle nut ,4iwhich has a screw threaded engagement withstud t and clamping y engages the side of the lever 35. The lower edgeof the inner end of the lever 4l() from the points 4:8, e9, 50 istapered from the side adjacent the lever 85 upwardly (see Figs. 5 and S)iorming a lower knife edge, the particular purpose of which will laterbe pointed out.

When the lead end oi? the wire stock is inserted into the machinepreparatory to a coil forming operation, said lead end must be securedto the mandrel or to the operating handle and in the present instance lillustrate a means Jfor attaching it to the handle, which meanscomprises a bolt 5l loosely inserted through alined apertures in thelimbs 23-24 of the handle 22, the aperture in the limb 23 being squareand the inner end of the .bolt having a square shank to prevent saidbolt from turning. rThe outer end of the bolt shank is threaded Jforcooperation with a wing-nutl 52 and the square portion of said boltshank is provided with a vertical transverse aperture 58 positionedadjacent the bolt head and of a size to accommodate the largest size otwire which the machine is designed to handle. This structure provides ameans 'for clamping the lead end oi the wire stock, ofvarious sizes, tothe handle.

The loperation of the machine, including the preliminary adjustments andthe threading or entraining ol the wire stock into the machine will nowbe described.

The proper size mandrel is first selected and inserted in the framebetween the clamp edges GMT ot the trame and the clampedges 13-14 oftheslide 8 alter which the clamp screw 2O is operated to providesuiiicient clamping tension on the mandrel to prevent a free turning or'said mandrel while at the same time allowing it to be forcibly turned ina wire coiling operation and translated longitudinally as theconvolutions of the spring yare formed. The operating handle 22 is neXtplaced on thel mandrel with the il-shaped edges engaging the mandrel,the clamp member 2 being then turned until its clamp edgeV 28 wedginglyengages the mandrel and the handle nut 29 tightened to maintain theclamp member 2T in set position. Y

The guide lever 410 is released'and swings to the position shown in Fig.6 and the wire stock, as indicated by the reference numeral 55, threadedunder the guide roller le and over the rod 32 and stud between two ad-Vjacent gage plates 37 and is then given one or more turns around themandrel and threaded through the aperture 53 of the bolt 5l adjacent theouter suriace oi the limb 23 of the handle after which'the wing-nut 52is tightened to securely clamp the lead end or' the wire stoclr tothehandle. (See rigs. 2, 5 and T).

rlhe guide lever l() is now restored to normal position and clamped tothe lever 35 by tightening the handle-nut il?. Both levers, as a unit,are now rotated on the rod until the lower inner edges of thel gageplates 37 engage the mandrel 15 with the outer side surface of theoutermost gage plate engaging the last completed convolution of thespring, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. In these igures the wire stock isshown threaded between the second and third gage plate providing fortheV production of a spring oi a pitch equal to the combined thicknessot the iirst two plates. 1t will, ot course, be understood that to formsprings of various other pitches the wire will be threaded betweenothers of the plates as is required. V

To provide the required tension on the wire stock, the wing-nut 39 istightened to translate the rod 32, thereby vdrawing the levers 35-e0,the gage plates 37 and the spacing collar 36 against the plate Se andagainst each other to produce a variable frictional gripping of the wirestoclr between the gage plates.

The operating handle 22 and mandrel 15 being operated to form a springofV slightly less than thev desired number of convolutions, the wirestock is cut as closely to theplates iso 37 as possible, the free end ofthe wire being wound, springing upwardly until it hits the guide bridgeor shelf 42, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, after which themandrel is again rotated to complete the spring. The number of turnsproduced by the secondary rotation easily determined by trial.

To again thread the wire stock between the gage plates 37 the guidelever 40 is released and turned to the position shown in Fig. 6 and thewire threaded into the machine and attached to the operating handle aspreviously described. If the next spring to be produced is to be of thesame kind and tension as the first, the adjustment of the wing-nut 39remains as previously set and after the wire stock is again threaded inthe machine the lever 40 is normalized, the forward lcwer knife edgeportions 48, 49, 50 thereof engaging between the lever 35 and the firstgage plate 37 with a wedging action which will restore the samefrictional tension on the wire stock as determined by the abovedescribed previous setting.

I claim:

l. A coil forming machine including a mandrel, means for rotating themandrel, means for guiding wire stock to the mandrel, a series of gageplates laterally movable to permit the insertion of the wire stockbetween any two of them, and means exerting a variable clamping tensionon the gage plates to produce a rictional gripping tension on the wirestock.

2. A coil forming machine including a mandrel, means for rotating themandrel, means for guiding wire stock to the mandrel, a gage supportingmember, a series of gage plates laterally movable to permit theinsertion of the wire stock between any two of them, a lever, and meansfor translating the lever to compress the gage plates and produce avariable rictional gripping of the wire stock.

3. A coil forming machine including a longitudinally movable rotarymandrel, means for rotating the mandrel, means for guiding wire stock tothe mandrel, a series of gage plates laterally movable to permit theinsertion oi' the wire stock between any two of them, means exerting avariable clamping tension on the gage plates to produce a i'rictionalgripping tension on the wire stock, and an independent means movable torelease the gage plates.

il. A coil forming machine including a longitudinally movable rotarymandrel, means ior supporting and rictionally gripping the mandrel, aseries of gage plates adapted te engage the mandrel and laterallymovable to permit the insertion of wire stock between the plates, andmeans for clamping the plates together to produce a rictional tension onthe wire stock.

e. A coil forming machine including a longitudinally movable rotarymandrel, a frame, a translatory rod journaled in the frame, a series ofgage plates loose on the rod and laterally movable for the insertion ofwire stock between the plates, means for supporting the plates inrelative transverse alinement, and means for translating the rod tocompress the gage plates and produce a frictional gripping tension onthe wire stock.

6. A coil forming machine including a longitudinally movable rotarymandrel, a frame, a translatory rod journaled in the iframe, a gagesupporting lever fixed on the rod, a series of gage plates loose on therod intermediate the lever and the frame and laterally movable to permitthe insertion of wire stock between the plates, and means fortranslating the rod to compress the plates between the lever and framefor producing a irictional gripping tension on the wire stock.

7. A coil forming machine including a frame, a longitudinally movablerotary mandrel supported in the frame, a coil spacing device comprisinga series of gage plates freely separable to permit the insertion of wirestock between said plates, and means for compressing the plates toproduce a frictional gripping tension on the wire stock.

S. A coil forming machine including a mandrel, a frame, means guidingwire stock to the mandrel, a bifurcated handle providing opposed limbsapertured to provide mandrel engaging edges, an eccentric clamp memberpivoted on the handle between the limbs thereorl and adapted towedgingly engage the mandrel, and means for clamping said limbstogether' to irictionally clamp the eccentric clamp member in setposition.

9. A coil forming machine including a mandrel, a frame, means guidingwire stock to the mandrel, a bifurcated handle providing opposed limbsapertured to provide mandrel engaging edges and provided with a boltreceiving orifice, an eccentric clamp member pivoted on the handlebetween the limbs thereof and adapted to wedgingly engage the mandrel,means for clamping the limbs together to frictionally clamp theeccentric clamp member in set position, a bolt engaging into the boltorifice and provided with a transverse aperture for receiving the wirestock, and means for translating the bolt to clamp the wire stockbetween the handle and the head of the bolt.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 11th day of September, 1919.

ALBERT W. MILLER.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE B. FOSTER, L. BELLE WEAVER.

